BLOG

It’s Time to Speak About the Economic Cost of Sexual Assault

The Kavanaugh scandal is an opportunity to finally talk about the economic toll sexual assault takes on our society

I recently did a straw poll of the women in my life and realized that I know more survivors of sexual assault than I do mothers.

The national statistics are staggering – according to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, “one in three women … in the US have experienced some form of contact sexual violence in their lifetime.” US Department of Justice data shows that only 310 out of every 1,000 sexual assaults are reported to the police. That means two out of every three incidents go unreported. Often times, even when these incidents are reported, they’re not taken seriously.

I still can’t believe that this is the reality of most of the women I know. The sun will rise in the east, the sun will set in the west, you’ll get your period, and you’ll probably be sexually assaulted at some point in your life. That’s a raw deal.